@RUTGERS.ARPA:rturner@USADHQ2.ARPA (04/28/85)
From: Richard.G.Turner, PERI-ET, USARI <rturner@usadhq2> The recent query about stories with computers reminded me of one I really enjoyed several years ago. I don't remember title or author, but it seems that it was on the line of short-story, novelette, length. The story was a series of vignettes taking part at various points in man's history, starting with the computer era and ending (or re-beginning) after the universe had run down from entropy. All that was left at that time was a computer which had evolved to the point that it existed as pure energy. Anyone else remember this one? rick
@RUTGERS.ARPA:keesan@bbncci (04/30/85)
From: Morris M. Keesan <keesan@BBNCCI.ARPA> The story asked about in SFL V10 #140 which is "vignettes . . . starting with the computer era and ending . . . after the universe had run down," when "All that was left . . . was a computer," is of course the classic short story by Asimov, "The Last Question". --Morris
@RUTGERS.ARPA:York@SCRC-STONY-BROOK.ARPA (05/01/85)
From: William M. York <York@SCRC-QUABBIN.ARPA>
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 85 10:53:36 EDT
From: Richard G. Turner, PERI-ET, USARI <rturner@usadhq2>
The story was a series of vignettes taking part at various points in
man's history, starting with the computer era and ending (or
re-beginning) after the universe had run down from entropy. All that
was left at that time was a computer which had evolved to the point
that it existed as pure energy.
This story is Assimov's "The Last Question". Coincidentally, several
recent messages to the digest discussed the names the computer had at
various stages of evolution during the story, from Multivac through
Cosmic AC and finally just plain AC. "And AC said. . ."@RUTGERS.ARPA:Purtill.SIPB@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA (05/01/85)
From: Mark Purtill <Purtill@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA>
<Fnord>
"The Last Question", by Isaac Asimov, I think. The computer at the end
was the Universal(?) AC, and it existed in hyperspace (or else it had gone
before that and a previous model existed in hyperspace), and at this
point mankind has evolved into one, pure energy, mind, which merges with
the AC just befor the last scene. I think Asimov thinks this is his
best short story (or at least at one time did).
This brings to mind something that occured to me while reading
_Robots_of_Dawn_. It seems to me that in several of Asimov's story's,
he essentially creates God (or /a/ god, anyway), "The Last Question"
being the most obvious example. Others include some of the robot
stories, eg "The Evitable Conflict" and _The_Robots_Of_Dawn_, wherein
robots play the "god" role. The ending of _Foundations_Edge_ also seems
to have that feel to it, but its been so long since I read it I'm not
sure. What does the net think?
Mark
^.-.^ Purtill at MIT-MULTICS.ARPA **Insert favorite disclaimer here.**
((")) 2-032 MIT Cambrige MA 02139kim@analog.UUCP (Kim Helliwell ) (05/02/85)
> From: Richard.G.Turner, PERI-ET, USARI <rturner@usadhq2> > > The recent query about stories with computers reminded me of one I really > enjoyed several years ago. I don't remember title or author, but it seems > that it was on the line of short-story, novelette, length. > > The story was a series of vignettes taking part at various points in man's > history, starting with the computer era and ending (or re-beginning) after > the universe had run down from entropy. All that was left at that time was a > computer which had evolved to the point that it existed as pure energy. > > Anyone else remember this one? > > rick I don't remember the title (Possibly "Let There Be Light"), but surely this was written by Isaac Asimov, and appears in his short-story collection, _Nine_Tomorrows_.
wilde@apollo.uucp (Scott Wilde) (05/03/85)
>The story was a series of vignettes taking part at various points in man's >history, starting with the computer era and ending (or re-beginning) after >the universe had run down from entropy. All that was left at that time was a >computer which had evolved to the point that it existed as pure energy. I think the story was by Isaac Asimov ( in one of his n thousand collections of short stories). It was called "The Question" and I believe that the computer kept trying to answer the question " How can entropy be reversed ?" Scott
brust@hyper.UUCP (Steven Brust) (05/03/85)
> From: Richard.G.Turner, PERI-ET, USARI <rturner@usadhq2> > > The recent query about stories with computers reminded me of one I really > enjoyed several years ago. I don't remember title or author, but it seems > that it was on the line of short-story, novelette, length. > > The story was a series of vignettes taking part at various points in man's > history, starting with the computer era and ending (or re-beginning) after > the universe had run down from entropy. All that was left at that time was a > computer which had evolved to the point that it existed as pure energy. > > Anyone else remember this one? > > rick Yes. One of my favorites. The author is Asimov, and the title is...er...I forget. The computers are called x-AC, where x is galactic, cocmic, universal, etc. It deals with Man asking: "Can you reverse entropy?" -- SKZB
cas@brunix.UUCP (Cathy & Cheryl) (05/06/85)
In article <178@hyper.UUCP> brust@hyper.UUCP (Steven Brust) writes: >Yes. One of my favorites. The author is Asimov, and the >title is...er...I forget. The computers are called x-AC, >where x is galactic, cocmic, universal, etc. It deals >with Man asking: "Can you reverse entropy?" > -- SKZB I believe the title was along the lines of "The Last Question". -- Cathy Schevon
dca@edison.UUCP (David C. Albrecht) (05/08/85)
> In article <178@hyper.UUCP> brust@hyper.UUCP (Steven Brust) writes: > > >Yes. One of my favorites. The author is Asimov, and the > >title is...er...I forget. The computers are called x-AC, > >where x is galactic, cocmic, universal, etc. It deals > >with Man asking: "Can you reverse entropy?" > > -- SKZB > > I believe the title was along the lines of "The Last Question". > -- > Cathy Schevon Yep, and can be found in "The Best of Isaac Asimov" if you can find one around. David Albrecht General Electric
gupta@asgb.UUCP (Yogesh K Gupta) (05/08/85)
> From: Richard.G.Turner, PERI-ET, USARI <rturner@usadhq2> > > The recent query about stories with computers reminded me of one I really > enjoyed several years ago. I don't remember title or author, but it seems > that it was on the line of short-story, novelette, length. > > The story was a series of vignettes taking part at various points in man's > history, starting with the computer era and ending (or re-beginning) after > the universe had run down from entropy. All that was left at that time was a > computer which had evolved to the point that it existed as pure energy. > > Anyone else remember this one? > > rick Yes, this is the short story "The Last Question" by Asimov where the computer finally solves the problem of reversing entropy but there is no one to receive the answer. So it decides to demonstrate the solution and starts of by saying, "Let there be light ...". Yogesh -- Yogesh Gupta Advanced Systems Group, {sdcrdcf, sdcsvax}!bmcg!asgb!gupta Burroughs Corp., Boulder, CO. -------------------------------------------------------------------- All opinions contained in this message are my own and do not reflect those of my employer or the plant on my desk.
srt@ucla-cs.UUCP (05/10/85)
> From: Richard.G.Turner, PERI-ET, USARI <rturner@usadhq2> > > The recent query about stories with computers reminded me of one I really > enjoyed several years ago. I don't remember title or author, but it seems > that it was on the line of short-story, novelette, length. > > The story was a series of vignettes taking part at various points in man's > history, starting with the computer era and ending (or re-beginning) after > the universe had run down from entropy. All that was left at that time was a > computer which had evolved to the point that it existed as pure energy. > > Anyone else remember this one? > > rick Great story! I can't remember the title, but it was written by Spider Robinson and had to do with a planet made out of mushrooms. Or something like that :-). Scott R. Turner ARPA: srt@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU UUCP: ...!{cepu,ihnp4,trwspp,ucbvax}!ucla-cs!srt SPUDNET: ...eye%srt@russet.spud